Overview
For this Performance Task, you will complete two parts:
- For Part 1 of your Competency Assessment, you will complete one of the activities below. If you are currently working within an early childhood program and can complete this assignment within that program you will complete Option A. If you are NOT currently working within an early childhood program you will complete Option B.
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- Option A: For Part 1 of your Competency Assessment, you will analyze how information you learn from interviewing and observing an early childhood teacher compares with research-based information on guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice and characteristics of effective early childhood teachers.
- Option B: For Part 1 of your Competency Assessment, you will study the provided video of an early childhood classroom and analyze how what you see in that classroom compares with research-based information on guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice and characteristics of effective early childhood teachers.
- For Part 2 of your Competency Assessment, you will analyze capabilities, practices, and understandings of effective leaders in early childhood settings in order to develop a Leadership Assessment and your professional philosophy of early childhood leadership.
Professional Skills: Written Communication is assessed in this Competency.
Instructions
Before submitting your Assessment, carefully review the rubric. This is the same rubric the assessor will use to evaluate your submission and it provides detailed criteria describing how to achieve or master the Competency. Many students find that understanding the requirements of the Assessment and the rubric criteria help them direct their focus and use their time most productively.
Access the RUBRIC and following to complete this Assessment:
- Part 1 Option A: Effective Early Childhood Teaching
- Part 1 Option B: Effective Early Childhood Teaching
- Part 2: Effective Leadership in Early Childhood Settings
This Performance Task has 2 parts you will need to complete:
Part 1 Option A: Effective Early Childhood Teaching
For Part 1 of your Competency Assessment, you will complete one of the activities below. If you are currently working within an early childhood program and can complete this assignment within that program you will complete Option A. If you are NOT currently working within an early childhood program you will complete Option B.
To complete Part 1 of the Competency Assessment:
- After you have carefully reviewed the 5 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice and 12 Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers, interview and observe an early childhood teacher.
- In your interview, share and discuss the 5 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice and the 12 Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers.
- Ask the teacher to share his/her interpretation, insights, and examples of at least 2 of the Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice and 3 of the Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers.
- Spend at least 2 hours in the teacher’s setting observing for the three identified Guidelines of Appropriate Practice and Characteristics of Effective Teaching you discussed.
Then complete the chart located in the Early Childhood Effective Teaching document:
- Summarize how the teacher interprets and demonstrates at least 2 of the 5 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice
- Analyze how the information you learn from the interview and observation compare with the research-based information in the resource. Offer 2 possible areas of improvement.
- Explain how the teacher interprets and demonstrates 3 of the 12 Characteristics of Effective Teachers.
- Based on what you have learned and observed about characteristics of effective early childhood teachers, analyze which characteristics you possess and which 3 you would most like to improve upon in your own practice.
Part 1 Option B: Effective Early Childhood Teaching
For Part 1 of your Competency Assessment, you will study the provided video of an early childhood classroom and analyze how what you see in that classroom compares with research-based information on guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice and characteristics of effective early childhood teachers.
To complete Part 1 of the Competency Assessment:
- After you have carefully reviewed the 5 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice and 12 Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers, study this video of an early childhood classroom: Day Care Observation Video #1
- As you study the video try to identify at least 2 of the Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice and 3 of the Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers.
Then complete the chart located in the Early Childhood Effective Teaching document:
- Summarize how the teacher in the video interprets and demonstrates at least 2 of the 5 Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice.
- Analyze how the observations you make in the video compare with the research-based information in the resource. Offer 2 possible areas of improvement.
- Explain how the teacher demonstrates 3 of the 12 Characteristics of Effective Teachers.
- Based on what you have learned and observed about characteristics of effective early childhood teachers, analyze which characteristics you possess and which 3 you would most like to improve upon in your own practice.
Part 2: Effective Leadership in Early Childhood Settings
For Part 2 of your Competency Assessment, you will analyze capabilities, practices, and understandings of effective leaders in early childhood settings in order to develop a Leadership Assessment and your professional philosophy of early childhood leadership.
To complete Part 2 of the Competency Assessment:
- Carefully review the resources for Module 2: What is an Effective Early Childhood Leader? These include:
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- What Does Leadership Look Like in Early Childhood Settings?
- A Critical Intersection: Administrative and Pedagogical Leadership
- Reconciling Leadership and Partnership: Strategies to Empower Professionals and Families
And the media segments:
- Talking about Ethical Leadership
- The Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Leaders and Advocates
- Take time to note and reflect on the wide variety of leadership characteristics, capabilities, practices, and understandings discussed in the resources and how each fosters effective leadership in early childhood settings. Also, consider leaders you respect, have known, and/or with whom you’ve worked and which of their characteristics, capabilities, practices, and understandings fostered their excellence as effective leaders in early childhood settings, and also what they were lacking.
Then develop an early childhood leadership assessment and philosophy of effective leadership in early childhood settings by completing the chart located in the Effective Leadership in Early Childhood Settings document:
- Choose 8 leadership characteristics, capabilities, practices, and/or understandings of effective leaders in early childhood settings to list in the assessment chart below.
- Add 2 leadership characteristics, capabilities, practices, and/or understandings of your own to the assessment chart.
- Share the Assessment you have created with a leader/director of an early childhood program/setting. Ask him/her to take the assessment and also discuss her thoughts, insights, and questions with you about the assessment and effective leaders in early childhood settings. Summarize the director’s thinking about effective leadership. (2 paragraphs)
- Analyze what you have learned from the resources, your experience developing the assessment, and your discussion with the early childhood leader in order to create your philosophy of effective leadership in early childhood settings. (2-3 paragraphs). Be sure to cite your sources.
